This invention relates to a simulative driving game machine that enables a game player to simulatively experience a drive (hereinafter, referred to as an "experience type" game machine) used in, e.g., an amusement industry.
It is common practice to construct an experience type driving game machine in such a manner that a driver's seat is moved in accordance with a driving condition corresponding to an operation of various operation members such as a steering wheel, a brake, and an accelerator to allow the driver to experience a feel of an external force and a centrifugal force, while changing a displayed image on a display monitor which is disposed in a forward portion of the game machine in accordance with the driving condition. In this way, the experience type driving game machine attempts to give a realistic drive feeling to the driver.
Various experience type game machines have been proposed. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 7-114333 (hereinafter, referred to as "Prior Art I") discloses an impact generating method in a simulative driving machine. In this prior art, in a situation wherein a driver steps on a brake; however, collides an obstacle, a cylinder underneath a driver's seat is actuated to horizontally move the seat backward, and then driven to return the seat forward. Thereby, a reaction force due to the collision is simulatively applied to the driver.
Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. SHO 64-12587 (hereinafter, referred to as "Prior Art II") proposes a swing type animated image display game machine. In this prior art, a driver sits in a compartment, and the compartment swings up and down along with forward and backward movements like a swing or a pendulum in accordance with a driving condition.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. HEI 7-222864 (hereinafter referred to as "Prior Art III") proposes an experience type video game machine. Similar to Prior Art II, this prior art III discloses swinging the driver's seat up and down along with forward and backward movements in accordance with a driving condition. Further, in Prior Art III, a base block mounting the seat thereon freely slides in fore and aft directions at a certain accelerated speed in accordance with forward and backward movements of the seat, and an external force is exerted to the driver in accordance with a speed acceleration or a speed reduction.
The above prior art has the following problems to overcome. In Prior Art I, the seat merely slides horizontally forward upon receiving an impact force from a collision. Accordingly, this arrangement is far from achieving a purpose of simulating a realistic movement of an actual car, e.g., in which a forward portion of a vehicle body lowers down and a rear portion thereof raises up when a great brake force is given to the car during a drive.
Further, in Prior Art II and III, swinging the seat up and down along with forward and backward movements of the seat in accordance with a driving condition through an operation of the accelerator or the brake supplies an external force to the driver. More specifically, when the driver strongly steps on the brake during a simulation drive, the forward portion of the vehicle body swings down and the rear portion thereof swings up.
In the arrangement of Prior Art II and III, however, the seat (driver's compartment) merely swings up and down around a certain pivot point when simulating aforementioned rapid start up and rapid braking operations. In other words, Prior Art II and III cannot simulate a realistic movement of an actual driving vehicle: an external force acts upon the driver when the driver strongly steps on the accelerator to try to abruptly start the vehicle, and the forward portion of the vehicle body raises up and the rear portion thereof lowers down; or an external force is given to the driver when the driver vigorously steps on the brake during a drive, and the forward portion of the vehicle body lowers down and the rear portion thereof raises up this time.